Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith
by rosso-bass
Summary: Follows KotOR canon. Revan leaves Bastila and the Republic behind, travelling to the unknown regions of the galaxy to destroy the evil force that led him to the Dark side. But he has no idea what awaits him beyond the veil.
1. Chapter 1: The Revelation

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 1 – The Revelation**

**AN: The characters in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

**Just to recap, this story follows the canon line of KotOR: Revan is male, and after losing his memory, becomes devoted to the Light side of the Force. He and Bastila fall in love, though she is captured by Darth Malak and falls to the Dark side. On the Star Forge, Revan spares Bastila and she returns to the Light side. Revan kills Malak and the Republic destroys the Star Forge. From KotOR II: the exile is female and follows the Light side. After killing Darth Traya (Kreia), she goes to the unknown region to find Revan.**

"_This is your task, Revan," a deep voice echoed. _

_"Yes," he replied._

_"The Force is yours. Use it to crush this galaxy, and pave the way for our glorious triumph over the Light."_

_"I will." Revan peered through the darkness, struggling to catch a glimpse of this one's face._

_"There is a tool which will allow you a swift victory: the Star Forge. Its location is lost, even to us, but you will take Malak as your apprentice, and you will find this relic of the Dark Side. With it, you shall not fail."_

_"I understand, Master," Revan replied. The robed figure stepped closer, but still its face was hidden in shadow._

_"Do not fail us, Revan," the voice sounded. "We sense light in your soul, and remember this: we brought our technology to this sordid galaxy, we brought knowledge of the Force to your pathetic races. There is no being so able to crush your existence."_

_"I will not fail, my Master." Revan knelt, feeling a bitter, pulsing presence beneath his knee. Footsteps approached him as he kept his head faced to the floor._

_"Good… Become the harbinger of death, the tool and master of the Force. Destroy- as we destroy. Rise, Darth Revan."_

Revan came alive with a start, breathing heavily in panic. He touched his face with both hands, feeling cold sweat. He looked around the room quickly, slowly recognizing his Ahto City home. His panic began to subside and he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He leaned over, placing his elbows on his knees and his hands in his face.

He had just experienced a vision- of that, there was no doubt. Over the past year, isolated memories of his past had resurfaced, displaying to Revan his past crimes. They had been difficult to shoulder, but he allowed the Force to ever relieve him in its inherent peace. However, until now, he had never remembered anything from his taking the path of the Dark Side, save for discovering the Star Map on Dantooine.

He looked back, peering at the woman in his bed. Somehow, despite their strong bond and sharing of visions in the past, Bastila Shan had not awoken. This was evidence enough to Revan that she had not experienced this particular vision.

He realized that he needed a moment to reflect on this. He quickly dressed and left the apartment, travelling to the nearest coast-edge of the city.

In the dead of night, he was alone by the restless ocean of Manaan. Producing a cigarette of dumnphat, he lit it with a spark from his finger and pondered things while taking occasional drags from the bitter plant.

Without a doubt, the being in his dream had been the source of his perpetual unrest, even beyond the continuous revelations concerning his evil deeds. For the past year, even from the moment he had crushed Darth Malak, he knew somehow that the galaxy was threatened by an even greater danger, and sensed that this danger was connected to the monster he had become before losing his memory.

Now, he knew, he could not ignore the threat, which was undoubtedly still existent. What should he do? Should he bring his revelation to Master Vandar on Coruscant? No. He sensed that bringing the full weight of the Jedi to this fight would only result in their destruction, and the removal of this dark force's only remaining obstacle in destroying the galaxy.

He could also assemble his old crew again. Carth Onasi was an important part of the Republic Fleet, right where he was needed, but the rest of the Ebon Hawk's crew would most likely agree to accompany him.

Sadness filled Revan as he contemplated this. His companions were helpful and devoted. But Revan knew them all, even Bastila, to be weak in comparison to himself. If he brought them along, they would all surely die.

No, he decided. He must go alone.


	2. Chapter 2: Bastila

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 2 - Bastila**

**AN: The characters in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

As soon as Revan had left, Bastila threw off her blankets and sat up, staring into the dark. She resisted the lump in her throat for a moment, but soon began to cry fitfully. She had sensed this day would come, where Revan would leave her to go fight the specters from his past.

As she wept, face in her hands, she reflected bitterly on the fact that one and a half years was not enough time to be with her true love. But there was nothing to be done. Even while Revan was away making his decision, she knew already knew the only decision he could make.

Thinking on the nature of the dark vision they shared, Bastila knew that Revan would very possibly die in his efforts to destroy the threat the evil creatures posed to the galaxy. She shuddered, remembering the pure evil she felt while experiencing Revan's memory.

Absent-mindedly, Bastila looked up from her lap to notice the clock. Revan had already been gone ten minutes! He would soon be back. She climbed out of bed, wiping away the tears on her face and quickly drew a robe around herself. She wandered around the comfortable apartment until she found the nomadic T3-M4.

"Hey," she said quietly, and knocked lightly on his head. "Wake up." T3-M4's central eye turned on, glowing a brilliant blue which stung Bastila's eyes. The little droid emitted a series of irritated tones.

"Shhh," she said. "I know, I'm sorry. You'll be leaving soon, I have instructions for you." T3 issued another series of beeps and turned his body towards her.

"Are you ready?" she asked of the droid. The droid replied with more unintelligible sounds before his central eye switched shades to green. Bastila knelt.

"T3," she began. "You have been with us since Taris. Without you we would never have escaped that place… and for that, I thank you. I'm leaving this message inside you because I've seen glimpses of the future… and the bond that he and I share does not allow him to hide everything from me.

"More of his memories have returned- and they trouble him. He has remembered something, something on the edge of the galaxy, and he believes he must go there to end it. But I'm afraid for him… afraid that he may not return.

"I need you to be the beacon, T3. If he lost out there, on the edge of the galaxy, if he finds whatever terrible thing he has seen, then he may not survive. If he doesn't make it back, then I need you to return to the Republic, find help. If you cannot find me, then seek out the other Jedi. The Republic-" She choked, the lump returning to her throat.

"I can't lose him, even if he believes he's protecting me." She reached forward, touching a button on T3's interface. The green light reverted back to blue.

"That's all T3, thank you." T3's head shifted back to its default placement and he shut down.

Bastila returned to the bed after replacing the robes where she had found them. They were Revan's, and when he left, he would likely take those with him. As she climbed back into bed, she was careful to adjust herself to the same position Revan had left her in.

As she waited, she struggled not to cry again, but the tears came of their own accord. Outside, she heard the security pad being fiddled with. She quickly wiped away her tears again and held in her grief for later.


	3. Chapter 3: Goodbye

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 3 – Goodbye**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

Revan opened the security door and entered the apartment. Quickly, he gathered the few belongings he would be taking with him. Without looking at Bastila, he put on his robes and placed his two lightsabers on his belt.

He found T3-M4 and quietly woke him up. The droid buzzed in annoyance.

"We're leaving T3," he said. "You might want to gather any power supplies you might have around. But don't wake Bastila." He went into the bedroom and sat in a chair across the room.

Bastila was still sleeping soundly. He looked at her sleeping figure, the sheet clinging to her naked body. There, illuminated by the light of Manaan's two close-proximity moons, he admired her natural beauty, and allowed his emotion's to run free as he looked on her, perhaps for the last time.

He recounted their short but memorable time together, from rescuing her on Taris, teasing her with flirtatious comments, saving her on the Star Forge, and their picturesque life together after Malak's defeat. The Jedi did not approve of their romantic involvement, especially in light of Bastila's fall to the Dark side. But they also recognized the nature of their strong bond. At the council of Jolee Bindo, Mastar Vandar decreed that they be allowed to engage in a relationship, given that ultimately, Revan's love for Bastila had brought her back to the light. This of course, was a private matter from the other surviving Jedi Masters.

Feeling the urge to cry, Revan left the room to an adjacent one. Producing his long-servicing datapad, he toggled the video option and held in front of his face.

xxxxxx

Bastila could hear Revan as he recorded his final farewell to her.

"Bastila," he began. "When you find this recording, I will be gone. You're well aware of my memories which have resurfaced, and my pain in dealing with them. But that's not what this is about. I've told you of my feeling that something is out there. The same thing that lead me down the path to the Dark side years ago is still out there, and it's waiting. I have to go, and I have to end it. I know this hurts, but you understand why I have to go. I may never see you again, and that realization makes me too weak to wake you and tell you this personally, because I know I could never summon the will to leave otherwise. I'm sorry. If I survive this, I will find you but…" his voice broke.

"But don't wait for me."

Everything in Bastila wanted to run in to him and plead with him to stay, but she could not. It was the way of the Jedi that the preservation of peace and life came before personal desires. She clenched her fists and willed herself to remain silent. She heard Revan's voice again, and could plainly discern that he was crying.

"Bastila, I love you, always." She heard him get up and enter the bedroom. She wanted to scream, to cry, anything to make him stay. He set the datapad on the table and came to her bedside. Still sobbing, he kissed her cheek, leaving his tears on her face.

"Come on T3," he said, and moved to the door. She couldn't take it anymore. She sat up.

"Let me see your face, one last time," she said. Revan stopped abrubtly. He turned, and they looked upon each other's faces. His eyes were red and streaming, but they did nothing to degrade his handsomeness. She immortalized this image in her mind, taking note of his strong jaw, long hair pushed back over his head, and his kind blue eyes. She could see that his resolve was deteriorating by the second.

"I love you," she said simply. He struggled for words.

"Come back to me when this is over," she said, her voice breaking. "I will wait for you forever. Now go." He took a step towards her, his hands coming up.

"You must go," she said. "Or you will never be able to. Go, my love."

With a last heartbreaking look of pain and longing, he turned, punching the door release. T3 rolled behind him and they stepped out as the door opened. He turned the corner and disappeared without a last look.

xxxxxx

Revan struggled to regain his composure. He kept his feet moving, knowing that if he stopped, even for an instant, his resolve would break. He moved through the quiet city through several divisions until he came to the hangar.

He directed himself to his privately owned bay, and upon iris-recognition and password input, he was let into the bay. The Ebon Hawk waited silently. The loading ramp was down, as if aware he was leaving. When T3 had passed by him into the ship, he closed the ramp and walked resolutely to the cockpit. He jumped, startled, when he heard a voice.

"Query: Master! How strange to see you at this hour," HK-47 rang in, sitting alone in the side-hold of the cockpit. The towering assassin droid followed on thin steel legs. Constructing HK-47 was a memory Revan could still not recall, but sometimes he was amused to see his own humor reveal itself through the droid's eccentric comments.

"Deduction: We are going to kill something, aren't we Master," the droid said with delight permeating his voice. "Statement: I can feel my circuits nearly overloading with joy, Master. It has been too long since I last terminated a meatbag."

"We're definitely off to kill something, 47," Revan replied. "In fact, I might have a special assignment for you."

"Interjection: Master! I am truly grateful to be in your service! Sometimes, you fill me with such repulsive meatbag emotions- Statement: I think I love you Master!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves 47," Revan replied, plotting the navigational computer. "Can you assist me as co-pilot?" The droid awkwardly sat in the co-pilots chair to his right. Revan recalled that he had never seen the droid actually sit.

"Affirmation: Of _course_ Master."

"Good," Revan said. "Let's get out of here." Despite the pain still lingering in Revan's heart, he was glad that he had a droid with personality to keep him distracted as he dealt with his abrupt departure.

"Setting course for Nar Shaddaa," Revan announced as the Ebon Hawk lifted off the ground. The engines fired as the ship completed a 180 degree turn, drowning out a "query" from HK-47, in which he mentioned something about gutting a hutt.

As the ship circled around to jump to hyperspace on a route to Nar Shaddaa, he gained one last glimpse of the ocean planet and the white city on its surface.

"Goodbye, Bastila. I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4: One Last Order

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 4 – One Last Order**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

The surface of Nar Shaddaa was, as usual, grim and depressing. The most populated moon of the Hutt homeworld reflected the nature of the corrupt slugs that controlled it.

The Hutts, fond of all things deviant, were masters of organized crime- so much so that, on more than one occasion, crime lords had ascended to ultimate power over the Nal Hutta system.

As could be expected, the moon attracted all sorts of seedy types, leading Revan to the conclusion that the demographics of Nar Shaddaa consisted solely of bounty hunters, their prey, and –of course- Hutts.

Revan dreaded coming to the shady moon, but he had business to attend to. He was seeking someone he had maintained significant contact with since the end of the Jedi Civil War.

He sent his ship information through to a docking station near the red sector, and sailed into a bay. He conducted a post-flight check and instructed T3 to run a physical diagnostic.

"Master," HK-47 said as Revan was about to leave the ship. "Will I be joining you?"

"No 47," Revan responded. "Stay with the ship."

"As you desire master."

Revan stepped out of the ship as the loading ramp lowered, setting off at a brisk pace. The steel doors of the dock opened before him and he quickly exited the facility into the haven of the immoral. As he navigated the alleys and walkways, he drew several stares, some disdainful. A Rodian with an oversized rifle stood in a dark corner, eyeing him warily, fingering his trigger as the many prostitutes- human and twi'lek alike- moved far away from his path.

He checked the map on his spare datapad and made his way over to a club in one of the seedier parts of the sector. The abundant neon lights quickly gave him a headache, as did his heightened blood-pressure- a result of his tension concerning the danger of the area.

Eventually, he came upon a club with a 8-meter tall neon sign which illustrated a twi-lek dancer. _Club Dark Side _the façade read in Basic. The Gamorrean bouncer outside grunted stupidly as its piggy eyes locked on Revan's lightsabers.

"You no start trouble, pinky," he said in a series of grunts and squeals. Revan ignored him and walked inside, instantly irritated with the droning music of the cantina band. An array of different species lined the bar which encircled a dancing platform. Revan found a seat between a Sullustan and a pale-skinned human. He gestured towards the barkeep. The human, filling a glass with a fluorescent liquid, ambled over.

"What'll it be?" he asked, passing the glass down the row.

"I'd like to speak to the owner of this establishment," Revan said simply.

"So would I," the barkeep answered with a degree of hostility. "The hours are long and the wages are crap."

"I don't have time for this," Revan said. He spoke with a slight gesture of his hand, manipulating the man's mind with the Force. "You will take me to the owner of this establishment."  
"Of course, Master Jedi," the man responded quaintly. "Right this way." The barkeep began to move to the back of the encirclement, lifting the gate. Revan got up from his seat.

"Hey you!" he heard the Gamorrean behind yell in his pig-language. "Put that away or me get mean!" Immediately, the Force alerted Revan to danger. With flawless dexterity and agility, his hands found his lightsabers. In a swift, fluid motion, he spun on his heel, dropping down to one knee. The lightsabers came alive inches away from his face as a vibroblade crashed into them, threatening to push the lethal energy into his face.

Revan's muscles strained as he pushed back. With a grunt, he threw his assailant back, who rolled backwards and came to his feet. His assailant was wearing full red Mandalorian assault armor. Without a breath's pause, the Mandalorian attacked again, swinging downwards. Revan caught the attack with both blades, trying to push it down into the ground. But the Mandalorian, surprising Revan, let go of the vibroblade with one hand, allowing his right arm to be forced down. With blinding speed, his left arm thrust out, crashing a fist into Revan's face. Revan fell backwards, a lightsaber falling from his hand as it cracked into the cold metal floor.

The Mandalorian leaped again, blade raised high over his own head. Centering his gravity, Revan lifted his legs up, curling them on top of himself. He extended them, connecting with his opponent's abdomen. The Mandalorian fell on his back, but quickly leapt to his feet. Seeing a brief opportunity, Revan pulled his lost lightsaber towards him with the Force. It soared into the air, halfway towards him, but was punted away out of sight by the Mandalorian. He turned his attention back to Revan and rushed forward, jabbing forward.

Revan moved to deflect, only to discover that he misread his enemy's movements. Quickly, he bent his hands back, blocking the slash aimed at his neck. He threw it off and launched his own attack, slashing and sweeping ferociously yet gracefully. Surprisingly, the Mandalorian blocked every slice while moving back towards the wall. Finally, Revan broke past his guard in a weak spot, shaving off the armor from the Mandalorian's shoulder. He cried aloud in pain but span with the blow, connecting with Revan's gut in a swift punch. He swung the blade above his head, bringing it down.

With milliseconds to react, Revan pulled out the Mandalorian's feet with the Force, sending him falling backwards. Rising quickly, Revan slammed an elbow into his chest, hastening his fall with a loud smack against the floor. Revan's lightsaber hovered inches away from his foe's helmet, illuminating it with a green glow.

"You still got it, Revan," the Mandalorian said. Slowly, he removed his helmet.

"Canderous Ordo, you bastard," Revan said, relief flooding him as he saw his old comrade's scarred and weathered face. He deactivated his lightsaber.

"Hey, stop that," the Gamorrean said, still standing in the doorway.

"Shut up, you lump," Canderous said as he pushed himself to his feet. The crowd in the club quickly resumed its activity, apparently accustomed to cantina violence.

"Oh! Boss!" The Gamorrean squealed, and rushed outside. Canderous looked after him, sighing and shaking his head. He turned back to Revan, extending his arm. Revan and Canderous clasped each other's forearms in greeting.

"It's good to see you," Canderous said with a slight smile.

"Could've fooled me."

xxxxxx

Canderous' expression was as heavy as Revan had seen it since they gunned down Jagi.

"I'm going with you," he said simply, and the determination in his voice was intimidating.

"No, you're not," Revan responded, avoiding Canderous' eyes across his office table. Canderous pounded on the table, cracking the glass.

"Give me one goddamn reason!" he spat. Revan looked into his vicious eyes.

"Because you won't survive," he said resolutely. Canderous threw up his hands.

"Who gives a wookie's ass?!" he cried. "I'm just rotting away anyway! You think owning this pathetic club gives me any satisfaction? That fight was the best I've felt since the Star Forge! This isn't my life Revan, this is the life of a dying man."

"I know that, but-"

"You know that I'm the best man to help you. Even those tea-sipping Jedi wouldn't help you as well as I could!"

"That's why I'm going alone," Revan said, and Canderous was stunned to silence. Revan used the momentum.

"Canderous, you're right, you're the best fighter I've had the pleasure of calling my brother-in-arms, but this is different."

"How? I just about beat you a couple times back there. How could it be different?" he asked, his anger gone and replaced with sadness.

"This is the Force. This isn't conquering planets or annihilating cities or even storming fortresses. This is a fight I _know_ only I can fight."

"If it's a Force thing, where's your girlfriend, that Jedi Princess Bastila? Waiting on the ship? Going alone my ass." Canderous slumped back in his throne-like chair, looking off to the side, seething.

"I left Bastila on Manaan. You think I'd bring her with me so I could watch her die?" Canderous cast his eyes back over to Revan, studying him.

"So you have to go alone huh? Why?"

"I'm the only one with the power to fight this battle. Anyone else who comes along will die. I'll likely die myself."

"So? I could help you before I die."

"I've got something more important for you. Otherwise I wouldn't have come at all."

"Fair enough," Canderous said, but not with distaste.

"Now Canderous. Whether or not I go, something is going to come to put this galaxy away. Off the top of your head, what people has enough hunger for battle to fight it when it gets here?"

"Mine, obviously. Mandalorians."

"You've always been disgusted with the fate of the Mandalorians across the galaxy: raiders, scavengers, low-lifes. So, I'm telling you to change it."

"How? The Mandalorians will never again follow a leader without Mandalore's armor, and that's been lost for a decade.

"Not quite, Canderous."


	5. Chapter 5: Malachor V

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 5 – Malachor V**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

_"Revan, you can't do this. This is… this is _wrong._"_

_"Malak, I accept the weight of what I'm about to do, but remember that this is war. We have to stop the Mandalorians, we _have _to."_

_"These aren't soldiers you're about to massacre Revan. This is a planet, these are civilians you're about to _murder _Revan."_

_"As long as this planet remains a supply world for the Mandalorians, the war lasts longer, more lives are lost. We have to do what is necessary."_

_"If you say so…Revan."_

_"Burn the fields, Commander. These resources cannot be used to aide the Mandalorians. Civilian casualties are non-consequential."_

_Below them, the surface of the planet lit up in flames._

Revan awoke naturally, being forced to watch the entirety of his memory. Tears clung to his eyelids, which he wiped away quickly.

"Master," HK-47 said, standing near the doorway to the hotel room. "I've received word that final preparation for the Ebon Hawk has been completed, and the ship has been refueled. We may continue on to Malachor."

"Thank you, 47," Revan responded. He quickly dressed and left his Serenno hotel room, making his way through the lushly gardened capital city to the docks. He wasted no time in prepping the Ebon Hawk for launch, and was soon out of the planet's reach.

Before jumping to hyperspace, he used the aged Republic beacon in the system to bounce an emergency message to Carth Onasi. Within minutes, his holoprojector rang in. Revan allowed the message gate open, and the projector showed Carth in his signature pilot's jacket.

"Revan," he said. "Good to hear from you. But you broadcast an emergency message. I'm sure this isn't time to catch up."  
"You assume right Captain," Revan replied. Carth visibly stiffened at the formal address.

"How can I be of service, Master Jedi?" he asked seriously.

"Captain… Carth," Revan started. "I have some last orders for you, if you will trust me one last time."

"Of course sir," Carth replied. "_Last _orders?"

"Yes. I've remembered something Captain. Whatever it is, it's what lead me down the Dark Side, to my… betrayal. Long story short, I have to go confront it."

"I can come with you sir," Carth responded with a sad tone. He knew he would not be going.

"No, Carth. You're right where I need you. I need you to prepare the Republic."

"For what?"

"Regardless of what I can achieve in the Unknown Regions, I sense that this galaxy is nevertheless in grave danger. You will need to usher a speedy rebuilding of the Republic, especially the military."

"How? I'm just a Captain, Revan."

"Not quite. It's been in the works for awhile, and all it took was the recommendation of the council. Admiral Dodanna asked for my recommendation, which I gladly gave. Congratulations, you'll soon an Admiral soon." Carth laughed excitedly.

"What?" he laughed. "No way! Er… thank you for this honor Revan."

"You deserve it. Now, I have one last thing for you Carth."

"Anything."

"I need you to take care of Bastila for me. Whatever is coming, I sense it has a very specific prey: Jedi. Protect her for me Carth."

"You're not taking her with you?" he asked in surprise.

"No, I have to go alone." Revan watched Carth's reaction. He looked like he wanted to persuade Revan away from such a mission, but Carth was, if anything, a soldier. Get the job done, personal feeling aside.

"I understand," he said finally.

"Thank you Carth, my friend. Good luck."

"There is no luck, right? Only the Force. May the Force be with you, Revan. Take care of yourself."

xxxxxx

The Ebon Hawk exited hyperspace several klicks outside of Malachor's orbit. The planet was a grim sight since it had been destroyed. Fragments of the planet's surface orbited the planet along with a debris field of dead Republic and Mandalorian cruisers and frigates.

He had come here to dispatch orders to one last person, someone he'd only remembered a month before. Looking at the planet, he dreaded going to its surface. Green lightning raked the planet in great arcs, and he saw continents visibly crushing together. Somehow, he knew his old master still lived on this rock, so surely the Mass Shadow Generator would not prove fatal to him.

Navigating the minefield of dead ships, Revan managed to navigate the ship into Malachor's sparse atmosphere, landing in a relatively clear area. Administering a gas mask, Revan stepped out onto Malachor V. The air was cold and acidic, painful to the eyes and skin.

The planet was absent of life except a faint echo of Force, pointing Revan like a compass. As he navigated the rocky terrain, sometimes jumping over cavernous ravines, the essence of the Force grew stronger. After a full hour of travel, he crossed a stone catwalk spanning an endless abyss to a dark building. Looking up at it, he recognized it easily. He had been here before, though he was not sure when or for what reason.

Though the Dark Side of the Force was obviously strong here, he entered. The halls were in pristine condition, lit with a dull red light which emanated from nowhere. There seemed to be nothing in the academy, though Revan felt watchful eyes on him. Lightsaber scoring traced the floors and walls, along with occasional dried blood spots.

A last chamber opened into a enormous subterranean cavern, in the center of which was a circular platform with some resemblance to Jedi meditation grounds. Walking to the center, the sense of dread he'd felt continually upon seeing the dead planet grew exponentially.

Walking around a series of curved spikes which jutted up through the platform. At the center, he saw a human form, robed, meditating.

"Somehow, I always knew you would return. I _knew _you were not dead," the woman said.

"I have something to ask of you," he said, unsure of how to proceed.

"Yes, I thought as much. You would not return to this dead planet otherwise, unless you had returned to reclaim your mantle as Dark Lord of the Sith." The woman rose to her feet and turned. The woman's name returned the instant he saw her face.

"Kreia," he said aloud. She remained silent, blind eyes pacing. "I'm leaving to the Unknown Regions."

"Ah yes, to fight them. Even in your broken state, you are far more powerful than you were when I had first instructed to find them."

"You…?"

"Yes. Hunting Mandalorians? Hardly. I knew you had a great destiny the first time I saw you, Revan. But make no mistake; your destiny will be completed should you go to find them. This dark place allows me to see… many things." Revan sensed she was right, even as he struggled to contemplate her meaning.

"Kreia," he said. "You must find the exile, you know of whom I speak."

"Yes. But for what reason?"

"She is a wound in the Force. A dead place. Her state will protect her from what is to come. When you find her, you must send her to me, in the Unknown Regions."

"Why do you give this task to me?"

"Your reasons don't matter to me, but I know you will do my bidding, one last time." Kreia remained silent, contemplating.

"You know what I am," she said.

"Yes. But your agenda goes beyond simple light and dark."

"True enough. And what if I shall use this exile to my own devices?" Revan thought about this.

"I can only hope," he sighed. "That she is powerful enough to overcome you." Kreia again remained silent for a moment, staring at him with her damaged eyes.

"Your agenda also extends beyond light and dark Revan. That much is easy to see. I do not see light or dark when I see you. Only the Force."

"I will leave you my ship, along with the droids on board."

"How will you leave this place?"

"I'll pull one of the ships out of the planet's orbit."

"Ah yes, like him." Him? His memory scrambled to conjure a picture, but he could not find one, nor a name.

"As you wish, Revan," she said. "Go, fight your battles. This galaxy will be out of your reach."


	6. Chapter 6: Into the Unknown

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 6 – Into the Unknown**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. Thanks for the reviews I've gotten, including one vague, but no-nonsense threat compelling me to update. ;) Thanks guys.**

It didn't take long for Revan to find a suitable ship among the hundreds in the orbit of Malachor V. The Mandalorian military freighter, long and shark-like, he found was in pristine condition, save for the skeletal remains of those who had been trapped aboard and killed by the Mass Shadow Generator and a couple of engines which had been knocked out. Salvaging parts from the other freighters in the debris field in his space suit, Revan repaired the freighter skillfully, using the skills the Jedi had implanted in his mind upon the recreation of his identity.

After Revan had completed his repairs of the freighter, he had T3 run a quick diagnostic, running through the essential systems. It would prove suitable. He docked with the freighter and swept through, gathering the decayed remains of the crew and ejecting them into space unceremoniously.

When he had finished, he returned to the cockpit to check over and make sure he needed nothing else. When he went to the docking hatch, his droids were waiting for him.

"Master," HK-47 said. "Will you be leaving me?" His tone almost sounded sad.

"Yes, HK-47," Revan responded. "But- as promised, I have a special assignment for you."

"Statement: This does lighten my sadness at leaving you, Master. Who would you have me kill?"

"HK-47," Revan started. "There aren't any around just at this moment, but if you encounter any Sith, especially dark Jedi, eliminate them."

"Affirmation: Of course master! I shall reduce any Sith meatbags I come across to their basest components!"

"Good. T3, after you land the Ebon Hawk on Malachor to pick up Kreia assist her however you can. Maintain the ship, and defend the Jedi Exile Josephine Varaat when… if you find her." T3 issued a string of hoots and bleeps.

"What do you mean other orders?" Revan asked, suddenly suspicious. T3 remained silent. Something Revan wasn't supposed to know about, obviously. Revan mulled over the possibilities. Most likely Bastila or the Jedi Council. Possibly Canderous. He'd rather not know.

"T3, whatever orders you received, they're secondary to what I've just told you. Do you understand?" T3 conceded dejectedly.

"Good. You two take care," Revan said, and stepped back across the airlock."

"Farewell: Good hunting, Master."

The doors slammed shut in front of him, the assassin droid's words ringing in his ears. As he stepped back into the silent freighter, he rubbed his forehead with his palm, taking in the task before him.

"Thanks, guess I'll need it." He sensed a strange presence in the force as he seated himself in the freighter's pilot chair. He attributed the strange signature to the transformed state of the planet. After all, he knew better than anyone that there had been enough death and suffering in the skies of this planet to mark it until the end of time.

He opened a radio signal to the Ebon Hawk beside him as he fired the engines.

"T3? Acknowledge." T3's mechanical speech filtered through.

"Don't land on the planet until I've been able to jump to hyperspace. Thanks, buddy." He turned off the communicator and detached the airlock console attaching him to the Ebon Hawk. He felt a sadness at leaving the ship, another tearing connection. Without dwelling on it, he engaged the forward thrusters on the ship and it took off, sailing smoothly towards the outer reaches of the system.

_Alright,_ he thought. _Let's see if this baby can fly. _He crossed his fingers as he locked the navicomputer on a straight shot to the Crispin system, and engaged the hyperdrive.

"All hands, prepare for jump to hyperspace," a droning soldier's tone announced. "Commencing jump to hyperspace in 3…2…1…" Revan closed his eyes, hoping. Sure enough, the feeling of vertigo descended on him as the freighter lurched forward, making the jump. Revan looked up, seeing the blue, swirling vortex out of the ship's viewing bay. Revan relaxed and checked the navicomputer's travel duration time: 7 hours, 39 minutes to destination arrival. Feeling tiredness wash through him, he decided to make a quick survey of the ship before turning in, to make sure there were no unnoticed insecurities or anything toxic to poison him in his sleep.

He checked the two dormitories, finding only weaponry and armor, the garage, main forum, armory, and engine maintenance room. Everything checked out. Wearily, he staggered to one of the dormitories and climbed into one of the higher cots after undressing. Morbidly, he noticed the covers were disheveled, taking thought of the cot's previous occupant, who surely had no idea of his grim fate. Dismissing his dark thoughts, he settled himself in.

Lying awake for a time, he was unable to stave off the coming loneliness. He was completely alone, and would be for years to come, assuming he lasted that long. He had been alone in the two years since his loss of memory of course, but always with the promise of companionship when his trials had run their course.

_Make no mistake, _Kreia's words echoed in his head. _Your destiny will be completed should you go to find them._

What had she meant? Was Revan going to his death, or simply to complete the tasks he was destined for, and have no further tasks once he returned? His mind mulled over the possibilities, imagining what might await him. Ultimately, he predicted he would die in his battle. Would he even be able to find his way home should he emerge successful?

_I found my way back once,_ he pleaded with his skeptical mind. _Surely I can do so again. _

Using the Force, he lazily pulled the datapad from his crumpled clothing at the floor. He cursed. He'd lost an hour of his sleep time in his counterproductive ruminations. Dismissing his thoughts he rolled over and let sleep take him.

XxX

"You can't be serious," Carth Onasi said with irritation. The Selkath looked up from his terminal, eyeing him.

"I have no reason not to be, human," he replied. "Our records show that Bastila Shan signed a release from contract yesterday, 26:42 standard Manaan time."

"W-Well, where did she go?" Carth asked incredulously. The Selkath let out a rasping sigh.

"Human affairs interest me even less than humans themselves," he replied with boredom.

"That doesn't answer my question, you ungrateful kelp-muncher," Carth hissed with frustration. "Don't forget, that's a Republic officer who helped free this galaxy from the grip of Darth Malak."

"The Sith never damaged Manaan," the Selkath responded, drumming his long fingers on the terminal. "The actions of a so-called savior of the galaxy do not interest me."

"Oh!" Carth replied, raising his voice. "So I bet that whole thing with the Sith brainwashing your young and training them in the Force so they can take control of this planet themselves doesn't interest you either?!"

"That doesn't concern me," The Selkath answered nonchalantly.

"What does concern you? Your own safety? The whole galaxy can burn as long as you have your dingy condos and your three square meals of kelp every day?"

"Thank you for summarizing an already boring conversation," The Selkath concluded, looking back to the terminal before him.

Carth restrained himself from an outburst as rage flared up inside him. After several seconds of escalating blood pressure, Carth calmed himself down enough to get the information he needed.

"Look, do you have any information on where she might have gone?"

"None."

"Fair enough, who does?"

"Mostly likely the docking bay records." Carth threw his hands up.

"See? Was that so hard?"

"Please leave before I alert the authorities."

XxX

Revan awoke as the Ebon Hawk announced five minutes to an arrival in the Crispin system. He was still exhausted, running on very little sleep over the last three days, but was instantly aware and alert.

Dressing, he moved himself to the cockpit and read Republic information concerning the Crispin system.

**Republic Galactic Data: Crispin System**

_The Crispin System is composed of one star: __**Crispa**_**. **_Crispa is the gravitational body of 17 planets: 9 gas giants, 8 rocky bodies. Crispa is a late-stage star, reaching red-giant status approximately 800,000 galactic standard years ago. As a result, the remaining planets not consumed by the star's increased proximity have become subject to strengthened gravities, pulling the planets inwards until either the star goes nova, or the planets are swallowed up. The…_ he skimmed through to the recent history section.

_…Seeing some small activity during the Mandalorian Wars. This system has been largely abandoned by endeavors of Republic and otherwise, and has been categorized as __**highly dangerous**_ _concerning abnormal occurrences in the system's outlying asteroid field. The Crispin system is the furthest charted region in Sector 3A-292 of the Galaxy._

_**Chemical Compositions of Planets of Crispin System**_

_The chemical content of the gas giant __**Larsa**__ has been the subject of…_

Revan dismissed the file from his updated navicomputer, finding nothing of further relevancy. He waited, yawning frequently until the blue vortex visible from the ship's deck dissipated into the blackness of space. While in other regions of the galaxy, Revan's view had been greeted with countless stars across the scope of the sky, Revan looked out towards the Unknown Regions past the asteroid field and saw… perhaps a dozen glimmers of stars. It was unsettling, to say the least.

Off to his right, the red giant Crispa burned a deep scarlet, one of the largest stars Revan had ever seen. Enaging his thrusters, he navigated to scanning range of the asteroid field within several hours. The rocky asteroids emitted no energy signals whatsoever. Revan recounted Canderous' story concerning his strange experience in the system, recalling that he'd fired on the asteroids before the strange ship exposed itself.

Navigating extremely close, the moment of truth had arrived. He concentrated the ship's shields to the front and powered up the lasers to low power.

His heart began to pound as he targeted the first asteroid. On the ship's interface, he engaged a firing sequence and a panel peeled back, revealing a joystick with a red button. He pressed the button and a trio of green bolts jumped from the ship, connecting with the asteroid. It broke apart. Nothing.

He destroyed another. Nothing. And another, and another. Still no activity. Over an hour, he destroyed perhaps a hundred asteroids with no effect. Growing discouraged, he tried a new approach. He reached out with the force, trying to sense something, anything.

He searched for nearly half an hour as he navigated the asteroid field before- there it was! A tiny flicker, not much, but definitely something. He turned the ship and searched the asteroids off to his left. And he centered on the bulky asteroid that flickered in the Force. His energy scan still showed nothing. Centering his aim on the asteroid, he fired again, only slightly believing he'd draw any response.

The green bolts connected with the asteroid and dissipated on its surface. Within a second, the asteroid began to spin wildly.

"YES!" Revan cried, pounding his leg. He diverted weapons power to the shields and waited. The ship sprayed fire from every area, tearing through asteroids. A single shot connected with Revan's ship and its formidable shields broke. One more shot and he was dead.

The asteroid stopped spinning and shot off, deeper into the field, it was gone before Revan could divert the ship's energy to the engines. He pushed forward on the thrusters and sailed off through the asteroid field. The ship's wake had pushed asteroid's out of its path, but others strayed out into the path. Going at full speed, dodging them was difficult and frightening. The ship navigated _nothing_ like the Ebon Hawk. For nearly twenty minutes, he followed the tunnel the ship had created in the dense asteroid field. When he emerged on the other side, he quickly brought up the energy scan, hands shaking and sweaty.

It was still there, faint, but present. The ship had left a hyperspace wake. Wasting no time, Revan aligned himself with the ship's hyperspace route and engaged the hyperdrive, hurtling him into the unknown.


	7. Chapter 7: In Good Company

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 7 – In Good Company**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. Thanks for the consistent reviews, SixxHunter101, they're a great encouragement.**

Carth Onasi, frustrated by his useless trip to Manaan, had tracked Bastila to Coruscant, and had found no means of contacting her yet. His first suspicion was that she had gone to speak to the remaining Jedi Masters on Coruscant.

Even after landing only a few miles from the Jedi Temple, it took him nearly an hour to get there.

_Sith's blood, _Carth thought. _I hate the city._

When he had arrived, the Jedi guardians waved him through, recognizing him instantly. He navigated the cavernous Jedi Temple, sadly noticing how empty it was in comparison to only two years. The Jedi Civil War had caused grievous casualties among every faction, military and civilian. But Carth had never seen tangible evidence of the effects on the Jedi Order. Had they truly lost so much to turn this place from a bustling center into a quiet home of a few dozen?

Anger rose up in his chest, but Carth struggled to push it down. It had been hard not to lash out at Revan when he'd learned of his new identity. He had been at least partly responsible for emptying this temple, after all. He remembered that Revan was off to sacrifice himself for the galaxy, and Carth willfully tried to put down his anger.

_Just watch_, Carth's mind said. _He'll come back with a red lightsaber and a whole new armada. _

He shook off these thoughts as he neared the training room where Master Zhar was said to have been training Padawans. Opening the door using the terminal at the side, he walked in to a surprise.

"Mission!" he exclaimed. The young Twi'lek's attention dropped from the training remote floating around her. It shocked her in response.

"Ow!" she said, and took a swipe at the remote with a training lightsaber, which dodged her easily. Ignoring it, she turned off the lightsaber.

"Carth!" she cried, and ran towards him, her blue head-tails bouncing behind her. She threw her arms around him and he hugged her awkwardly. Zhar Lestin, one of the few Jedi to survive the attack on Dantooine, threw him an irritated look.

Carth replied with a "didn't-do-it" expression. Mission unlatched her grip and stood back, examining him.

"You don't _look_ that much older," she said playfully.

"Mission," Zhar said behind her. She turned to him.

"What have I told you about controlling your passions?" he said seriously. "First you attack the remote and then you can't restrain your feelings at seeing an old friend."

"I know," she replied, looking down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

"Mission," Carth asked. "When did you start training with the Jedi?" She turned back to him, sweeping a head-tail from her shoulder.

"Just about three months after we took down Malak," she said smiling. "There were concerns over my age, but they said that I was Force-sensitive and that I had a lot of promise."

"Well that's great!" Carth said. "I hope it works out, really!"

"Thanks Carth," she said with a grin.

"Well this is a nice surprise," he said.

"You didn't come to see me?" She said dejectedly and punched him playfully.

"Mission," Zhar said. "Go study lightsaber forms in the archives." She nodded, clearly irritated.

"See ya Carth," she said, turning to leave.

"Bye Mission, take care." Once she had left, leaving Carth and the Twi'lek Jedi Master alone, Zhar spoke.

"What bring you here, Captain?" he asked, moving to window to view the skyline.

"Well, sir, I'm looking for Bastila," he said, cringing at the inevitable interrogation.

"Bastila? What business would you have with her?" Zhar asked, looking away from him.

"It's uh… well it's Republic business."

"And? The Jedi Order and the Republic are inseparable allies. Their business is our business." Carth sighed. Before he could speak-

"And remember that we Jedi are quite adept at detecting lies," Zhar threw in.

"Look, I have orders from Revan, alright? Alright?" he was getting frustrated already.

"I see, and what business does Revan have with Bastila?" Carth tried to keep their romance out of his mind and focused on the conversation between Revan and himself.

"I'm supposed to protect her."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, something's going to come for the Jedi and Revan needs Bastila alive."

"I see. And why doesn't Revan deliver this news himself?" _Crap_ Carth thought. _Cat's out of the bag. _

"Revan's left known space," he said submissively. Zhar span around, staring fiercely at Carth.

"_What?"_

XxX

Revan stared at his navicomputer as it edged closer to the end of known space. He held his breath, sweat beading on his forehead.

_Anything stupid enough to commit suicide in that endless void is not worth our time to pursue, _Canderous' story reverberated in his mind.

The navicomputer's indication of the ship crossed a bolded line indicating known space. Seconds after breaching it, it displayed an unsettling message: **No Image Available.**

And yet the hyperspace wake Revan followed stretched on endlessly. Quickly rigging up a series of summatic equations, Revan's mind added, multiplied and concluded. Judging by his calculations and the ship's distance measurements, a full parsec outside of the Crispin system, and a staggering 18,000 parsecs from the galactic center.

He expected that he was now entering the Intergalactic Void. As much as he felt the Force had led him to follow this path, a startling realization struck Revan. Would this ship lead him to a new galaxy? He would be dead decades, possibly centuries before he ever reached that destination. If that was true, he had followed the wrong path, doomed forever without hope of returning.

Regardless of the outcome, he reflected grimly that he had already made his choice, and there was simply no turning back. As the hyperspace wake stretched outwards for hours, and obviously not dead yet, Revan began to relax, and before long his fatigue began to catch up with him, and against his own will, he began to drift off.

"And what happens when they drop out of hyperspace? You'll plow right through the back of them!"

Revan jumped from his seat, his lightsaber flying to his hands. It ignited as Revan's feet landed in his seat, crouching down. Revan's mind struggled to catch up. He could hardly see and he was wobbly. If he had to fight, he _had _to get his bearings.

"Settle down," a male voice said. "I've been here the whole time." Revan's vision coordinated itself to see a man standing in the shadow of the hall leading away from the cockpit.

"Step in to the light," he instructed the man. "No sudden moves."

"You damn young people," the man grumbled, and stepped into the light. Revan nearly dropped his lightsaber.

"You! You…? You…?" Revan stammered.

"In case you were wondering, my name's not 'you', it's Jolee. Jolee Bindo."


	8. Chapter 8: The Dead Star

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 8 – The Dead Star**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

Staring at Jolee Bindo, Revan's shock melded into angered curiosity.

"How the hell did you get on this ship?!" He roared, not realizing he still held his activated lightsaber aloft. "And- and why?!" Jolee gave Revan a dismissive expression. _Grow up, _his expression said. Ignoring Revan, he hobbled over to the co-pilots chair, sitting down. He sighed, smiling, snuggling into the chair.

"Oohh," he groaned. "Two days hiding out in a trash compactor will make a chair feel like the throne of heaven."

"The trash compactor?" Revan asked, his voice still raised. Jolee clucked his tongue.

"Quiet down, for Force's sake, will ya son? I'm not deaf. And put that damn lightsaber away before you stick it through something keeping us alive." Revan took irritated notice of his lightsaber, which he deactivated and slipped in his belt. Uneasily, he sat down, checking the control console to make sure the alien ship's hyperspace wake had not dropped off. Once he had confirmed, he spoke to Jolee without looking at him.

"Explain yourself."

"Who, me?"

"Out with it old man, I mean it."

"Oh, you mean it do you? That's _veeery _convincing." Rage crept up in Revan's chest and the muscles in his body contracted, clenching his teeth and his fists. The old former Jedi hadn't been around for five minutes, and he was about to send Revan back to the dark side all over again.

"I swear Jolee, I'm gonna- I'm gonna-"

"Gonna- gonna- what?" he taunted. Revan slammed his fists down on the arms of his chair.

"Force-be damned son-of-a-Tach, Jolee!" he screamed. Jolee let out a snorting laugh.

"Settle down, youngling," he scolded in a satirical tone. "Don't you know that _anger_ leads to the _Dark Side?"_ He gasped with another chuckle. Revan willed himself to relax. The old man would obviously continue until the galaxy collapsed as long as Revan encouraged him. Taking a deep breath, he blew out it out gently.

"Please explain to me how and why you're here, Jolee," Revan asked in the most passive tone he could muster. Jolee laughed even more, nearly sending Revan over the edge again.

"Alright, alright, don't get your robes in a bunch," he started. "I jumped on the Ebon Hawk while you were in Serenno. Stayed in the storage hold while you did your business, and I jumped ship while you were rounding things up in the Hawk's cockpit. I hid out in the trash compactor- glad you didn't decide you had to use it- and managed to avoid detection long enough for you to hit the point of no return. Speaking of which, you're the _worst _Jedi I've ever met." Jolee was only taunting him again, of course, but there was some truth to his insult. How had Jolee managed to evade his Force sense for three days? He voiced his question.

"Every single one of you Jedi who has ever had a better than average command of the Force thinks that you're impossible to outmaneuver or outsmart," Jolee began. "Do you really think that after 60 plus years of using the Force and having fought in- and survived- a war with _dark Jedi_ that I haven't picked up a trick or two? Natural talent isn't everything."

"Well... yes. I just…"

"That revelation surprises you does it? Hmph."

"Alright, so how did you know I would be at Serenno?"

"I didn't! I was there enjoying vacation when I saw you touch down, figured I'd come along for the ride!"

"Don't start this again," Revan grumbled wearily.

"Dammit kid… Alright. Canderous contacted me, said you were off on some crusade. He said you were going alone, and he wanted someone out there with you. He mentioned that you were off to Malachor and that Serenno was the closest planet with a station, so I could probably catch you there. I figured if you got Canderous to back off, you were pretty intent on going alone, so I didn't leave you a choice in the matter."

"Since when did you and Canderous become buddies?" Revan asked, genuinely curious.

"We didn't." he said simply. "Has it ever occurred to you that Canderous has never had an actual friend? Sure, he had his war buddies, whom I'm sure he actually cared about, but with them, I'm sure it was always 'glory to the clan, this. Glory to Mandalore that.' Did you ever stop to think that he'd _ever_ confided his personal feelings and struggles to anybody else besides you? I'm sure he had some good times with Davik's slaves, but I don't think his mind was on unloading personal burdens. Canderous didn't stick by you because you kept things interesting, Revan. That wasn't the sole reason, anyway."

Revan soaked in Jolee's long, if intuitive, speech. He felt a stirring of compassion for the tough Mandalorian he'd left behind. He'd considered Canderous something of a friend of course, but he had never pondered Canderous' position on their relationship. Shamefully, he realized that he had made superficial judgments concerning the man, assuming him too hardened and battle-focused to ever have need of a simple thing like…friendship.

"Make's you feel a little guilty huh?" Jolee asked, noticing Revan's contemplative status. "Considering you might never see him again. Or anybody else for that matter."

"Alright," Revan said, dismissing his thoughts. "That still begs the question: why are you here? I doubt it was just as a favor to Canderous." He looked over to Jolee, relaxing in the chair with his eyes closed. He nodded his head to the side, pursing his lips.

"Fair enough," he said. "I don't suppose you'd believe that _I_ wanted to protect you too?" He opened an eye, looking at Revan's blank stare.

"Huh, didn't think so," he said, closing his eye again. "I'm gettin' on in years, as you're quick to point out, and I've never been able to sit still for long. I was always on some mission, or fighting in some war. Even after I left the Jedi, I had to shack up in the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk for fear of dying of boredom. I figured that my last days ought to be spent doing something worthwhile and exciting. Saving the galaxy again, for example."

"But you have no idea what my mission is, old-timer," Revan said, keeping a close eye on the energy readings of the hyperspace wake. "I didn't tell Canderous very much."

"Does it matter?" Jolee asked, shifting in his chair. "You wouldn't abandon everything you know and love if it wasn't to do your best to avert disaster. Even I have enough faith in you to understand that."

"Well," Revan said. "I do know that this isn't an enemy that the galaxy has ever seen. I hope you're more useful than you look."

"Aren't I always?" he retorted. "Now let me sleep. Sleeping in five year old Mandalorian trash isn't what I would call comfortable." Revan was silent for a full minute.

"Hey, Jolee," he said. The old man groaned.

"What?" he groaned with irritation.

"Uh… well, I'm glad you're with me."

"Yeah," he said, his tone softened. "No problem, kid," After another ten minutes, he was snoring lightly, his feet propped up on the co-pilots station.

XxX

"There you are," Carth said with a sigh as he opened another door in the mansion-like Jedi Temple. Bastila turned, leaning her body back to look at the person who had interrupted her meditation. She was as beautiful as ever, if visibly emotionally distraught.

"Carth," she said, her demeanor lightening by a fraction.

"Get your things together," he said hurriedly. Curiosity etched itself into her face.

"Why? What's going on?" Carth shrugged.

"Under orders," he explained truthfully. "You've got to come with me." Getting to her feet, she moved to a footlocker placed against the wall of the room, the setting Coruscant sun silhouetting her. She stopped abruptly as she rummaged through her things. She turned to him.

"Under whose orders?" she asked.

"Can't tell you that right now," he said quickly. "But come on, I've got a hot date waiting for me on Corellia."

"Admiral Dodonna's Fleet?" she asked.

_She does her homework_, Carth noted with respect.

"That's the one," he said. Bastila quickly loaded her things into a pack and shouldered it, moving to Carth's side.

"Ready," she said simply. They left the Jedi Temple quickly, drawing several stares. Bastila, practically a celebrity now, was already leaving after only a few days.

XxX

Revan was effectively staving off his need for sleep, but he was losing some of his concentration as a result. Jolee's slow, rhythmic snoring was no help. Yawning, he watched the energy scan intently. He got up to go have the food synthesizer cook him something up when the energy scan beeped, the first sign of activity it had shown all day. His tiredness dissolving, he sat down again as he searched the continuous stream of data. The hyperspace wake was tapering off. He waited several seconds, gripping the hyperspace disengage lever. Adrenaline quickly reenergized him, and he had to make a split-second reaction to the end of the hyperspace wake if he was to land in the same area.

The energy scan switched gears, showing only darkness. Within a second, Revan threw the lever, and the Mandalorian freighter made the disorienting transition from hyperspace to standard flight. The sight that greeted him was a strange one. Not moving his eyes, he felt along with his hand until he felt Jolee's warm leg. He tapped it rapidly.

"Oh…" he groaned. "What now?" He stretched and sat up in his chair.

"Wow," was all he said.

In the center of the system, there hovered a tiny but luminous star, barely illuminating the few planets hanging silently about. It was a dead star, a white dwarf. They were exceptionally rare. Most stars, after reaching a size where they could no longer sustain themselves, would collapse on themselves, creating a black hole. A white dwarf differed in that only the core of the star remained after the surrounding plasma burned away. The core would continue to burn for perhaps another billion years, but its former glory was long gone. Revan looked to either side from the viewport, noticing the familiar smattering of stars when one looked into the galaxy, but noticed not a single one beyond the dead star. The enigma's mystery was further deepened when Revan deduced that they were on one of the galaxy's spiral limbs. The core of a galaxy was understood to be the oldest part of the galaxy, while the arms were understood to be the youngest. How a star so extremely young in comparison to stars further inside the galaxy had already run its cycle and burned away, was beyond Revan.

Bringing himself back to reality, Revan saw that the ship he had followed to this remote system was gone. There were no objects on the physical scan, and no readings on the energy scan. But he was certain he had landed in the same system. Jolee read his expression.

"Guess we've got a treasure hunt on our hands," he said. Revan looked to him and back at the dead star.

"Not if they find us first."

XxX

**AN: Hope you didn't mind this chapter being mostly character development. I don't know about you, but I prefer to know the characters I'm reading about a little bit. Along that line, I think I captured the grumpy old man personality of Jolee. **


	9. Chapter 9: A Quiet Search

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 9 – A Quiet Search**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. Happy Independence Day!**

It hit Revan like a tidal wave, and from Jolee's sharp intake of breath, Revan could tell he felt it too. The Dark Side of the Force was crushingly strong.

Letting go of his resistance, Revan probed the aura that now clouded the ship, searching for the source. He allowed his senses to burrow deeper and deeper, and he began to feel a strain on his mind. But no matter how deep his senses probed, the dark presence in the system remained constant, growing neither weaker, nor stronger. Either the True Sith had expertly cloaked themselves somehow, or-

Revan's eyes opened and he exhaled sharply. Jolee looked at him expectantly.

"It's this entire system," he realized aloud. "It's coming from this entire system." It was not unheard of for a certain aspect of the Force to "embody" a planet. Katarr, for example, a planet inhabited by millions of peaceful Force-sensitives, emanated with the light side of the Force. While in contrast, Malachor V was undoubtedly stricken to its core with the dark side. But never had Revan heard mention of an entire system being held in the sway of either aspect. The concept was at once, breath-taking, and ominous.

Revan was torn on what course of action to follow. He hadn't travelled to the system to hide forever, but neither did he want to illuminate himself like a beacon, and possibly draw retaliation from every True Sith in the system. Jolee remained silent as Revan consulted his thoughts. Finally, Revan arrived to a decision.

"We'll search this system. From what the physical scanners suggest, there are six planets in this system. If we take a short revolution around each one, we should be able to either find some sort of base, or a fleet."

"And what if we run into a fleet?" Jolee asked. Revan responded quickly.

"I came here once, and somehow I stayed alive long enough to meet with them."

"_That's _your plan? You arrived here with a _fleet_ last time, Revan! We're not exactly exercising a display of force this time."

"You're right, but somehow I'm certain that even the fleet I brought last time would be helpless here."

"Oh. Well that makes a _lot_ more sense," he huffed sarcastically. Revan ignored him.

"Let's set course for that planet there," Revan said, pointing to the closest pinhead sized object.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Jolee said.

"Trust me."

XxX

_3 Days Later_

Carth Onasi stood at the end of a long walkway, Republic soldiers lining the path up to a pedestal where Admiral Dodonna waited, hands clasped behind her back. He was irritated by the unnecessary pomp and circumstance, but also thrilled at the magnitude his promotion warranted. He was given instructions how to proceed, to make everybody happy, irritating him further.

The band started into a triumphant chorus, and Carth began to walk forward, uncomfortable in the Republic uniform he seldom war. It was tight, and the restriction on his shoulders and elbows made him uncomfortable, vulnerable. Similarly, he felt naked without the pistols which always hung from his belt.

As he walked the long path to Admiral Dodonna, the soldiers at either side stood at rigid attention. He did his best to execute the high-headed, shoulders-back officer's method of walking, which he so seldom practiced. When he'd reached the podium where the Admiral waited, he turned to face her as the soldiers behind collectively turned forward to watch.

"Captain Carth Onasi," Forn Dodonna began. "Your service to the Republic has been long and dutiful. You served in the Mandalorian Wars under Saul Karath, contributing to several key victories, and you were one of the few respected officers of the Republic who did not return to us a traitor."

He resisted the urge to look away from the Admiral's proud eyes, unaccustomed to lavish praise.

"You commanded the Endar Spire, successfully fending off Darth Malak's troops until the very last of your crew could escape. You helped to rescue Bastila Shan from captivity on Taris, and you assisted Revan as he searched the galaxy to find the Star Forge. Your actions on Rakata Prime and the Star Forge, contributing to Darth Malak's destruction, earned you the Cross of Glory, the Republic's highest award.

"Since the end of the Jedi Civil War, you have been instrumental in coordinating and planning Republic rebuilding efforts, and it has come to the attention of the Republic high command, with the advice of several Jedi, that you could achieve even more. Carth Onasi, few men have been as worthy as you of this honor. Receive your promotion, Admiral Onasi." Dodonna extended her arm, and Carth took it. Her grip on his forearm was strong, and in his excitement, it was all he could do not to squeeze hers off.

XxX

Revan and Jolee Bindo were in suspended orbit over the first of the six planets in the system, and after nine hours of seeing nothing, they grew complacent.

"What is _that_?" Revan asked. Jolee looked up from the contraption in his hand.

"What, this?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Never seen one huh?" He tossed it in the air and caught it. "Pipod. Baby's been with me ever since I was a Padawan. It can hold 3.14 million songs. Used to be manufactured by Aratech. I never thought they'd start making weapons. Huh."

"3.14 million songs?" Revan asked, surprised by the number.

"Yeah, _music?_ Never heard of it have you?

"Well of c-"

"I'll show you." He unfurled an ancient looking cable and hooked it up to the ship's input console. He clicked buttons on the device, several times bringing it close to his eyes.

"Huh," he said. "Eyes aren't what they used to be. Here's a good one." He set it down and lifted up his arms, like he was holding some sort of lute. His left arm was extended out to his side and he curled his hand around. The right he angled back towards his midriff, curling the fingers like claws. Then an awful sound came through the speakers.

A rhythmic, crunching distorted sound filtered through, and Revan wanted to cover his ears. He looked over to Jolee, who was moving his fingers and right hand to the rhythm, seemingly imitating the notes that would be played on the instrument. He nodded his head towards Revan, cueing Revan as a slow, heavy drumming joined into the fast pace. Jolee grimaced at Revan when he did not respond, Revan only stared back blankly.

Jolee ignored him, starting to rock his body back and forth to the rhythm.

"What is this _trash?_" Revan asked, disgusted.

"This _trash_ was all the rage during and after the War of Exar Kun. This is classic, son. This band is called Exar Loon, hehe." And Jolee cut off, joining the singing in perfect time.

"_Way high above Kuat!_

_I was shot down!_

_By an…angry Mandalorian!_

_Wearin' a- a nasty frown!"_

"Oh, give me break," Revan mumbled, rolling his eyes. Jolee ignored him, singing along while continuing to play his mock instrument.

"_Well I crashed onto that planet!_

_And that Mando followed quick!_

_I jumped right out, reeeady to fight!_

_But then I saw, who was in that ship!_

Some respectable singing followed in the chorus.

"_Whoa-ooo-Whoa oooh, it was a woman,_

_The prettiest I'd seen._

_Whoa-ooo-Whoa, oooh, what a woman._

_Like none I'd ever seen."_

"I see how it rhymed there," Revan mocked. But Revan was now enjoying it. He sung the repeat of the chorus, a smile creeping into his face. This time, when Jolee cued him, Revan banged his arms, playing an invisible set of drums. Jolee came in with his instrument, and the two continued with the verse bridge.

Jolee knew the song by heart, singing every verse with a sweet voice while Revan helped with the chorus. When the song finished with a lengthy chorus, they both laughed joyfully, the dark conflict ahead far away from their minds.


	10. Chapter 10: The Purge

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 10 – The Purge**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. **

**Sorry for the late update. Been working a lot.**

_3 Months Later… Revan and Jolee have searched two planets extensively, finding nothing. Their elusive enemy has not made itself known, but another is about to._

It was all he could do to keep from running. Somewhere in his soul, human dignity still held a presence, but it was all he could to keep from running. As his leather-booted feet tapped across marble tiles, the hunger, maddening already, flared. It was overpowering. As the Force swirled about in currents and vectors, tantalizing him, he could hardly bear it.

Darth Nihilus had become a slave.

The Jedi Temple loomed ahead of him, pristine in its structure but pathetic in the aura of security it emanated. As he had walked, hundreds of Force-blind sentients walked by him. But as they fell into his proximity or so much as noticed him, their minds deteriorated where they stood, neurons being drained of their life. He had gone unnoticed, his threat unannounced. The passersby fell away, deprived of their intelligence, no more a threat to Nihilus than a gnat.

As he slowly ascended the gleaming endless stairway leading into the Jedi Temple, his hunger grew exponentially by the second as his proximity to Force-sensitives closed.

When he reached the top, he noticed a handful of Republic soldiers on guard at the mouth of the temple. And in the midst of them, a Jedi.

He could bear it no longer.

XxX

Darth Sion wanted them to feel pain as he felt pain. To relish it, as he relished it. They would not, he knew, so he would have to enjoy their pain for them.

Flanked by teams of Sith Assassins on either side, the force stealthily cut its way from the shuttle docks into Alderaan's "secret" Jedi Conclave. The assassins were trained in many different areas- not only the Force, but other skills such as computer slicing and security. These skills the assassins used flawlessly, freezing camera feeds, granting access to a restricted sector of the capital city, and easily bypassing doors requiring authorized access.

Within thirty minutes of their landing, Darth Sion and his assassins had cut through straight to the conclave. Darth Sion, cloaked in a stealth barrier along with his soldiers, Darth Sion shivered with anticipation as he noted the first Jedi they had seen: a young human woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a yellow-skinned Twi'lek female. His assassins crept closer, gathering around the pair in clusters and closing in.

"Wait-" The human girl said, her senses lighting up. Her hand moved to the saber at her hip, but it was too late. With a scream, holes were pierced all over her body by invisible weapons, each spurting out the life blood which passed through her arteries. She was dead in seconds. Before the Twi'lek could turn to ask her companion what she had said, she befell the same fate, being forced to her knees as a thin gash opened at the top of her skull, accompanied by another through the bottom of her jaw. Her eyes grew wide in wonderment and she toppled over dead. Mere seconds after the two Jedi had been killed, the door opened, revealing another trio, all human males.

The one on the left fell under a hail of assassin's knives, but the other two defended skillfully, retaliating quickly. Two Sith assassin's bodies crackled into focus, dead on the ground. It was time for Sion to enter the fray.

XxX

"K-Kreia? Is that you?" Aay'la Lestin asked in disbelief. A smile crossed her face, and Darth Traya noted with sickness that she so resembled her dull brother, Zhar, that was easy enough to see, even when using only the Force for vision. Traya remained carefully expressionless. She had verified the presence of Jedi on Ryloth, going so far as to find this woman in a deserted asylum.

"It is I," Traya said simply. Aay'la looked confused.

"Well… you were banished Kreia… I… Can I help you somehow?" She asked, fidgeting with her hands. Traya considered this a moment.

"I think you can," she said finally. A trio of Force-guided lightsabers leapt from her belt, igniting violet blades. Caught completely off-guard, Aay'la didn't stand a chance. The first of the lightsabers impaled her through her abdomen, the second through her sternum and the last through her left thigh. She fell to the ground, a sad sight when impaled in such a way. Her breathing came in short rasps and blood was audibly filling her lungs.

Traya acted fast, digging through the woman's shell-shocked mind, searching memories, following pathways and relating her thoughts to their current surrounding. And she found it, the Jedi outpost on this world.

"Thank you, Aay'la," Traya said as the woman simply gasped her last breaths of air. Calling the Force back to her, Kreia ripped the three lightsabers from the Twi'lek's body, and she fell limp, finally dead. Traya travelled quickly, making her way alone to the industrial sector of the city, following Aay'la's lingering memory of the place in mind.

When she arrived only a few minutes later, Traya unleashed her devastation. A Togruta female came to question Traya as she was noticeably walking to the outpost with a mission. Traya lifted the unsuspecting Jedi into the air and crushed her, bones piercing through her skin and veins exploding under the immense pressure. The woman was a crumple of lumpy skin when she finally fell to the ground.

A half dozen Jedi streamed out as the Togruta woman died, and Traya slew them all quickly, dispatching them with her telekinetic use of the lightsabers, which the Jedi seemed too disoriented to defend against. She entered the outpost, slaying recklessly, annihilating the hapless Jedi with lightning. The sabers darted about, cutting Jedi down. Within minutes, two dozen Jedi littered the small complex while younglings cried over their masters' bodies.

Without a word, Traya turned and left.

XxX

"Revan…" Mission called quietly, watching as dozens of Jedi closed in on the evil-looking Sith. "Where are you?" The Sith Lord was far more intimidating than any she had ever seen, even the holo-vids of Revan when he was still a Sith Lord. Though Master Lestin had counseled her not to dwell on attachments any longer, she was silently wishing for Zalbaar, who had returned to Kashyyyk for a time while Mission trained.

Though she was only faintly attuned to the Force so far, Mission felt a strange stirring that seemed to extend beyond the planet. Looking at the other Jedi who waited to engage the Sith Lord, several of them exchanged looks with each other. They had felt it too then.

Turning her attention down below again, she watched as four Jedi Knights engaged the Sith Lord. The Sith, though tall and encumbered under several layers of clothing, moved gracefully and with precision, defending perfectly against the Jedi's saber strokes. Mission realized she had not seen anybody so skilled with a lightsaber since Revan himself.

When the Sith stepped back, kneeling low and swinging his saber behind, he reached out his free hand and a stream of golden-orange energy left from the palm of his gloved hand. It connected with one of the Jedi, who convulsed sporadically. After only a second, the energy disappeared and the Jedi crumpled to the ground, unconscious or dead.

"Revan," Mission called again. "Where are you? We need you."

XxX

It was not enough, it was _not enough_. While some part of Darth Nihilus enjoyed the sparring with the Jedi, when he had devoured the Force energy of the first, it had only made it worse, spurring his addiction. He threw his hand forward again, pulling the Force essence out of his remaining three opponents, and they fell to the floor.

It was not enough.

Now Jedi leapt from all levels of the Temple, landing on the ground level to attack him directly. He devoured them as they came, fed on them mercilessly. It was obscene gluttony, and yet, it was not enough. His hunger edged back only slightly, a small victory, but he could not stave it off.

He sparred with the Jedi as his Force powers grew exhausted, and devoured their energy whenever he could. He was faced with a hundred Jedi, and while any other would have feared for his life, his only thought was of his infinite hunger.

And then, amongst his assailants, he sensed the strengthened aura of a Jedi Master. Free will abandoned Nihilus, nearly resulting in unconsciousness. Beams of Force energy erupted from his body, raking across the mob of Jedi like a lightning storm. Their essence was pulled into him forcefully, and he felt ecstatic satisfaction.

He stood in place for several minutes, allowing himself to feel one of the rare moments where his hunger for the Force was not omnipresent within him. And slowly, it began to ebb its way back in. Resigning to it, Nihilus looked about. Over a hundred Jedi had fallen dead in a perfect circle around him, dead to the world, and now dead to the Force.

As he began to leave, he sensed more creatures through the Force, one more powerful than the rest. And his hunger would not allow him to ignore it. The stronger creature's terror acted as a beacon through the Force, and as Darth Nihilus mounted set after set of stairs, he came to a doorway. He opened it.

He noticed the creature he had followed to be a blue-skinned, female Twi'lek. The twi'lek was older than the dozens of tiny younglings in the room, but likely still only a child.

He searched the little younglings, looking into their terrified eyes. Humans, Twi'leks, Togruta, an Aqualish, a little wookie. It was a diverse little group, all with a flicker of the Force within them. He raised his hand to rip it out of them, but the Twi'lek jumped forward.

"No you don't!" she shouted, running headlong with a blue lightsaber enclosed in her hands. Nihilus pointed at her and drained the life from her. She died on the spot, crumpling to the ground in a twisted posture.

Nihilus turned to the younglings, who had cowered in a great mass against the far wall. Standing in the doorway, he extended his arm towards them and pointed his fingers.

XxX

Darth Sion looked down at the yellow lightsaber protruding from his chest. He looked back up to the young human, who grasped his lightsaber stubbornly. Sion's hand shot out, gripping the Jedi by the throat. Waves of Force energy pushed against Sion, trying to topple him as the Jedi struggled for his life. Sion lifted the man up high off the ground, and he kicked out blindly with his legs. Reaching down with his other hand, Sion pulled the burning lightsaber from his chest. He raised it so the Jedi could see, and the man began to kick harder and began tearing the flesh off Sion's arms with his fingernails.

Sion shoved the lightsaber through the man's face and dropped him to the ground. His assassins carried out their work eagerly, and while there were casualties, it was easy enough to see that the Jedi had been overwhelmed. By the end of the assault, some 50 Jedi had been slain, his job was finished.

XxX

Revan and Jolee exchanged looks when they felt the disturbance in the Force.


	11. Chapter 11: The True Sith

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 11 – The True Sith**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. A bit of a plot payoff if you've been waiting for one. **

**"**What was it, you think?" Jolee asked, punching in coordinates as the ship dropped into orbit over the third planet, a gas giant that swirled with green storms.

"The Jedi have been attacked," Revan stated. Jolee looked at him curiously.

"How do you know?"

"I just know. I knew something was coming to destroy the Jedi. I didn't know how soon."

"Was it the True Sith?" Jolee asked, looking back through the cockpit window. "Could we have moved right past them? Can't say much for those odds."

"No." Revan knew that much. "The True Sith are here. But they'll be moving, and soon. We have to intercept them, convince them we're too great a threat to be ignored."

"Ambitious agenda, considering we haven't even found them yet."

"Yes, but it's all we've got. I was sent from the True Sith to weaken the galaxy, disable it. I failed, but I did enough damage that a concentrated attack on the Jedi would remove the last hope for the galaxy."

"You say that pretty casually," Jolee remarked, but not with bitterness, rather intuition.

"I don't really remember any of it, Jolee. I get bits and pieces that I recall in my dreams, and I feel guilty for what I remember but… I'm not the man I used to be, I can't see my past deeds from another man's eyes."

"True enough. So what happens-" Jolee cut off abruptly.

"What happens now? Well we have-"

"I'm getting something." Jolee said in a detached tone. Revan's adrenaline spiked, and he pulled up the scanners on his own terminal. The physical scanners showed a blip, highlighted in red. Its shape was irregular, but quite clearly artificial.

"I'm taking us in slow," Revan announced, and powered the thrusters down, setting them into a gliding drift.

"Divert engine power grid to weapons, Jolee." Jolee responded automatically, and an escalating hum greeted his actions. Revan quickly played out scenarios through his brain. If they were attacked by ships, he would quickly drop into the upper atmosphere of the planet below and calculate trajectories on ship movements, if they lived that long. If there was no activity, he would attempt to establish the purpose of the object's presence. If it turned out to be some sort of outpost or base, well… he'd have to investigate.

"It looks like a relay beacon," Revan announced as the object grew closer.

"No, if that was the case, we'd be receiving some sort of energy readout."

"We're not dealing with a technology based civilization, Jolee. Everything with the True Sith is constructed around the Force."

"So what does that mean."

"It means that they can operate anything through the Force. Machines, messages, anything." Jolee grunted in unease.

As they drew closer, Revan's suspicions were confirmed. A slight ripple in the Force, which would have been indiscernible to Revan upon first arriving in the clouded system, emanated from the station.

"We're going to have company," Revan said.

"Take us in there quick," Jolee said.

"No. They can probably destroy us easily if we alert them to a threat."

"We're not exactly lost tourists, kid. They already know we're not here by accident."

"I survived the first time, and it was because I was only seeking them out. I'm going on that right now." Jolee shifted uncomfortably, feeling helpless and vulnerable.

Revan became almost drunk with adrenaline. It was overwhelming. What could he expect? He imagined he had felt similar a lifetime ago, when he had first stumbled upon the True Sith's lair. His memory of his last orders from the True Sith clued him in that he would likely not be receiving the welcome he had last time, but so far, he was still alive. The True Sith, he predicted, were as curious as he was. A jerk took hold of the ship and Revan felt the presence of the Force constricting against his skin. The ship was being pulled into the station, which grew larger by the second until it was clear to be at least an outpost, if not an operations space station.

"I don't like this," Jolee mumbled nervously.

"Just trust me," Revan said, hardly trusting himself.

"I wanna go home," Jolee whined in an adolescent voice. It was amazing that he could retain his sarcasm under such circumstances. Within minutes, the ship was pulled into a docking bay sparsely illuminated with a pulsing yellow light.

"Be ready for a fight," Revan advised. "But don't be quick to start one." Jolee remained silent, and Revan could feel his fear. It was not a fear for his own life, but of seeing the threat that faced a helpless galaxy, and the results of a failure to destroy it. The ship settled, and the air hung still and silent over them, revealing no activity. Jolee jittered in his seat, and nearly sprang to his feet when Revan noisily released his safety restraint. He stood to his feet and Jolee nervously did the same.

"Are you alright?" Revan asked, and the puncture in the dead silence unnerved him. Jolee took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I'm alright," he said, now more controlled. "Should I come with you?"

"Yes," Revan said. "We won't be escaping here if the Sith don't want us to. I'd rather we be together."

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Revan leaned over and punched in a command to the ship, which lowered the loading ramp. He powered the ship down, and checked to make sure he had his lightsabers with him. Jolee touched his also, and seemed comforted by its presence.

"Let's go," Revan said. They navigated the ship, wary of any intruders who may have already slipped in. When they exited the ship cautiously, they were met with a vastly empty port. No soldiers, no guards, nothing.

They moved to the only door in the bay, and it opened for them as they approached. The hallways, lined with a black granite-like mineral, pulsed with the same light, and they stretched on endlessly. The unique architecture of the station told Revan that it had not been constructed, but carved. The entire station had been carved, externally and internally, from some sort of rocky body- an asteroid, or even a tiny moon.

They followed the hallway, and saw that it extended far to the other side, extending horizontally from a stairway that led up into the complex. As they reached the next level, which extended in a dozen different directions, Revan felt himself being watched, acknowledge by another through the Force. Jolee touched him on the elbow as he scanned the different paths. Revan noted the alertness in Jolee's dark eyes.

_We're being watched_ his eyes said. Revan nodded slightly. Neither of them was eager to break the oppressive silence which filled the halls. Not even their footsteps had any sound. Revan looked at the pathways from left to right and-

XxX

-he moved to the path second from the left. Alec Squinquargesimus followed closely behind, his breath coming through his lips in short bursts. Revan looked from side to side behind the Mandalorian mask seated beneath his hood. He felt no apprehension, only delighted curiosity at what he might find. Strange though, he-

XxX

-had no idea what led him down this particular path. He stopped in his tracks, looking back behind him. Jolee looked back at him, raising his chin in question at Revan's sudden stop and confused expression. Revan waved it off, but felt perplexed at the vividness of his memory while still being awake. Also, he had not felt any fear in his memory, as he did now. He dismissed the confusion, resolving to return to the implications of the vision at a more convenient time. He followed the walkway to the end of the hall, and carefully ascended the slick steps which spiraled upwards. The stairway changed in angle, but Revan and Jolee were rooted to the steps, even as they seemed to be standing perpendicular to the force of gravity, their clothing hanging off to one side. The sensation was nauseating, but tolerable. Gradually, the stairway evened out, and the two ascended into one long walkway, mounted on either side by humanoid sculptures in various postures, carved out of the stone of the station.

Revan felt the urge to dash to the stalwart doorway at the end of the hall as a presence seemed to fill in their footsteps behind them. Jolee turned, shuffling backwards behind Revan as he watched the stairway. Revan walked carefully, measuring his footsteps to the door. The sculptures watched him carefully, and they seemed ready to spring from place and cut him down. His heartbeat pulsed in his hands, resounding in his skull.

And the door before them opened.

Revan, followed closely by Revan, walked resolutely into the carefully crafted chamber, and a long window at the far end showed them the dead star in the distance. The chamber, to the eyes, appeared empty, but Revan felt them, the True Sith.

A cloaked figure materialized out of the darkness, walking forward from the window towards the window. Then a second, and finally, a third, all walking towards the two. Jolee's green lightsaber ignited, and he dropped into a Shii-Cho opening stance. Revan remained unmoving. The cloaked figures ignored Jolee, standing around Revan in a triangle.

"We will test you," A singular, deep male voice stated, coming from none of the three in particular, but all of them. Moving simultaneously, they began to drop their robes, throwing off their cloaks and stripping off their shirts and standing around clothed only in a short skirt-like piece of black clothing, revealing an athletic, but not powerhouse muscular build. Revan barely had time to take in their appearance, but it was striking. They were humanoid, all standing at an equal height somewhat shorter than Revan's. Their skin was completely black, like the void between the stars in the sky. However, they lacked typically human characteristics, as well as possessing alien features. They possessed no navel, no nipples, no hair, and no mouth. Their eyes, seated above a human nose, were completely white, having no iris or pupils. And as their hands reached towards their belts, Revan noticed that their fingers were abnormally long, ending with animal-like claws. They were the strangest creatures he had ever seen.

Revan's own lightsabers were in his hands, and two blades, green and yellow, ignited in his right and left hands respectively. At the same time, three red blades ignited around him.

"Stay back Jolee," he said with authority, though he wondered to himself why he commanded this. Jolee surprisingly complied, deactivating his lightsaber and stepping back. The black creatures adjusted, creating an isosceles triangle around him, and they moved forward, raising their lightsabers above their heads.

XxX

"Terlos," Bastila said to the man, though she knew his name was simply a programmed replacement to the name Revan.

"Yes?" he said, dropping his vibroblade to his side.

"Sit with me a moment," Bastila sat in the silky grass of Dantooine, pulling her legs up into a meditation stance, and placing her vibroblade off to her side. Terlos sat beside her, mimicking her posture.

"Listen to Dantooine. Listen to the planet." Terlos remained silent, quietly listening to wind pushing through the grass and rolling over the hills of the world's landscape. Bastila closed her eyes, listening to the superficial ambience of the breezy plains.

"The Force is in all things," she said simply. "It flows from being to being, not like a river, but like an ocean, shifting, but always present in everything. It is in the grass, in the winds, in the stone. It is in you and me. It is in the planet itself, in the sun, in the galaxy, everywhere. Every living being, from the kath hound in the hill, to the pups in her womb, to the rancors in Dathomir, back to you and I, feels the Force, is embodied by the Force. Some are more attuned to its presence, some are blind to it, but it is still there. Listen to the planet, but through the Force." Terlos remained silent again. Bastila waited a moment, then reached through the bond that had been created when she had saved the former Dark Lord's life months before. She was going to cheat for him a bit, let him sense what she sensed, but she was impressed to feel that he was already hearing the Force in the planet as she was.

"You hear it," she said quietly. "Now, feel it. Exist with it, do not fight to preserve yourself from its reaching tendrils. When you fight, do the same. The Force exists in all things, in you and your opponent. Allow the Force to see for you, and see through it. See your opponent's strike before it descends on you, let the Force move your hands and feet, blocking, attacking, deflecting. The Force is your ally, and it is a powerful ally indeed. Allow it to fight for you, and you will fight as a Jedi does. Now, fight me, and allow the Force to fight for you."

XxX

Revan let go of his mind, letting the Force guide him. But while doing so usually brought him a certain peace, this time it was invigorating, and the pleasant explosion of power in his chest begged him to release himself completely. He was now facing another enemy. His attunement to the Force allowed him to block the hail of attacks falling against him, but he was struggling internally not to surrender himself to the dark aura which he had already allowed to penetrate him.

Revan was desperately battling his adversaries. They were better swordsmen than the slews of dark Jedi he had encountered over the past year, and he was fighting three of them alone. The first of the three thrust forward, and Revan dipped with his main hand, catching the blow while moving it aside to block the second's attack. He threw his off hand blade behind his back, catching another. He pushed with his mind towards the two in front of him. The second skidded backwards on his feet along the smooth tile, but the first compensated with a flurry of precise strikes that Revan parried and dodged while moving backwards, careful to keep some focus on the movements of the Sith behind him.

Bending backwards, he narrowly avoided a swipe at his head by the first as the second came rushing back, leaping into the air and slashing downwards. Revan sidestepped him with millimeters to spare, and the lightsaber singed the cloth on his arm. The second's back was exposed to Revan, but he could not capitalize on the break in defense as the third leaped forward, protecting his comrade. He quickly realized that every movement of the trio was choreographed, there was little improvising. Any perceived break in defense was compensated by one of the three, and they regularly alternated between two defending opponents with the third attacking. Revan was being outsmarted and outmaneuvered.

But he could not give in to the insidious beckoning of the Force around him. He could not risk it. But… it had been the Revan before him that had fallen, given in to the temptation. All the same, he couldn't trust himself.

He sparred with them desperately, never being allowed an offensive advantage. They operated like one body, throwing their attacks in quick succession. Even his detached connection to the Force was failing him. And then, they moved to finish him. The first jumped forward, sending a flurry of whirring strikes that moved up, down, and around. Then the second, matching his comrades movements. The third Sith moved in, Revan was about to be killed.

"Jolee!" he cried desperately. He could not risk the galaxy on meager rules of engagement. In his peripheral vision, Jolee's blade ignited and he sprinted forward, but not before another Sith leaped from the shadows to engage him, allowing his robes to be cut from his body. Revan had seconds as the third Sith engaged him from the side.

He let go, he surrendered to the oppressive dark aura of the Force, and it filled him. The taste was incredible, and the power that melded with his inborn sensitivity was intoxicating. Automatically, he dropped into a Juyo stance.

He engaged the Third as his first movements completed, and Revan's aggression was too much for him. Revan moved faster than he ever had before, and his passion seemed to multiply his agility exponentially. Determination, blind disregard, and finally anger seemed to gratify the indwelling Force, and his lightsabers reflected this. He moved like a whirlwind, spinning, slashing, deflecting. His form abandoned the Niman precepts, using one lightsaber for defense and the other for offense, and he subconsciously used each lightsaber interchangeably.

Finally, as he threw off the attacks of the other two with precise agility, he attacked the third with both lightsabers. The third succeeded only in deflecting one blow, and the other sliced through his arm, followed quickly by a strike though his abdomen and his neck. The Sith fell to the ground in smoking pieces. The two Sith looked down in surprise at their fallen comrade, and Revan sprung on the second, quickly dicing him into half a dozen body parts. Alone, the last of the True Sith employing Makashi in a valiant effort to best his opponent, but Revan's ferocity was too much, and he quickly fell, decapitated to the cold floor.

Revan turned to the Sith battling Jolee and threw the saber in his left hand. It span wildly, arcing towards the Sith, and he perceived the danger. He leaped backwards, flipping into the air, but it was not enough. Guiding the saber's flight, it intercepted the Sith's maneuver and skewered him, pinning him against the wall where he flailed a moment before dying. Revan called back the saber into his hand, and focused on calming his ecstasy at indulging in the considerable weight of the dark side.

He called into memory his feelings of love and compassion, alongside a conscious effort to Force the twisting presence in his body. Slowly, but with some proud satisfaction, Revan succeeded in pushing the lust for the awesome power he had tasted, and it resulted in a peaceful calm that existed despite the hovering presence about him. He opened his eyes from his meditation, and Jolee stared at him, panting. Revan expected a lecture, a warning, something. But either Jolee was too tired to indulge him, or he simply saw the necessity of the circumstances. He only nodded, and placed his own blade at his belt.

Before either could speak, another True Sith quietly walked from the shadows, standing in view of the window. Revan and Jolee both activated their lightsabers, dropping into opening stances. The Sith simply raised a clawed hand, and the two relaxed, though they did not sheath their weapons.

"Impressive," The True Sith said. This one was different. Elaborate white tattoos sprawled across his face and skull, descending down to beneath his neckline.

"When you first came to us, you had not succeeded in killing even one of us, even amongst our lowliest apprentices. You have grown. But you are different." The True Sith's white eyes moved about. "Do not attempt to deceive us. We know that you failed in your mission, that you destroyed the Star Forge and your apprentice Malak. Why then have you come to us? In hopes that you shall receive some mercy for the small compensation you provided for you failure? There shall be none."

Small compensation? Revan was confused, but he chose to address the question posed to him rather than seeks answers himself.

"I've returned to destroy you," he said simply. Revan had been met with laughs and mockery when he made the same statement to the Sith Empire of the galaxy over the past year. The True Sith did not even react.

"I see," The True Sith mused. "Tell us, have you come to destroy us to preserve your own power in the galaxy? The power you have not even yet obtained?"

"I've returned to the Light, and I will not allow your threat to exist any longer." The Sith responded violently, abandoning the hitherto passive composure he had shown.

"We _warned_ you, Revan!" The Sith shouted, pointing a stiff finger at Revan. "We warned you, and there will be no mercy for a traitor! You will face the full might of the Sith of this galaxy, and when you are dead, we will continue on to the galaxy you foolishly hope to preserve, and we will drain away every last life that does not bend to our will."

"Guess that rules out negotiation," Jolee mumbled behind him.


	12. Chapter 12: The Cost

**Knights of the Old Republic: The True Sith**

**By rosso-bass**

**Chapter 12 – The Cost**

**AN: The character's in this story are not mine, nor is the Star Wars Universe. Sorry guys. As you can see, I've lost some steam. I've also been very busy. Updates may be less frequent now, but I won't abandon this story!**

What a way to kick off his career as a Republic Admiral. The Jedi had been attacked all over the galaxy. Numbering only a few hundred at the end of the Jedi Civil War, they had now been cut down to possibly only one, the only one Carth Onasi could account for, Bastila Shan. Several of the Jedi Masters that had survived the assault on Dantooine a year before were unaccounted for, and Carth quietly hoped that somewhere, they were still alive. But they had disappeared off the map, there were no attempts by any of them to contact the Republic.

He gazed about the carnage that littered the floor of Coruscant's Jedi Temple, and he had been quick to notice that only a handful of them showed evidence of having been killed with a lightsaber. The rest seemed perfectly unharmed, no physical damage, but they were most certainly all dead. Uneasily, Carth ran a hand back through his hair as Bastila scurried from one body to the next, often calling out the names of the dead, shaking them and screaming.

Carth had never seen a Jedi act out so drastically. Even in the wake of tragedy and loss, he'd seen plenty of Jedi display concern at most. Even Revan, when Malak stood before the three of them on Saul Karath's Leviathan and told Revan of his true identity, displayed only the slightest sign of anger and despair at what must have felt like an enormous betrayal. After all, Carth was almost positive that Revan had hopelessly fallen for Bastila. And when he had come back from the temple on Rakata Prime to inform the crew of the Ebon Hawk that Bastila had fallen to the dark side, he still kept his composure.

He watched Bastila checking the dozens of bodies, and a painful empathy hit him in the chest. Bastila's whole world had just collapsed. Almost everything she had ever known, what had been her only semblance of family, it had been reduced to a stack of bodies. Carth had been there, and knew too well the pain Bastila now felt. He had held his wife Morgana in his arms as she choked on her own blood, clutching at Carth's jacket. Carth had been overwhelmed, and his only way to remain functional had been to replace his grief with desire for revenge. Only when he had found Dustil and convinced him to leave the Sith after he had killed Saul himself had he begun to feel any sense of peace.

What would Bastila do, he wondered. There was no enemy to swear revenge against, as the Republic surveys of the attack sites failed to provide one enemy body. Her Jedi serenity, if the present was any indicator, had abandoned her, and her only intimate outlet for emotion had disappeared into the furthest reaches of the galaxy.

Thinking of Revan, his old suspicion crept back. He tried to stave it off, but if festered there in his heart. He entertained fantasies of Revan coming back with another fleet and crushing the Republic for good. He didn't let them gain any weight. Revan had asked Carth to trust him one last time. And Carth didn't go back on his word.

He followed Bastila from a distance, his escorts nervous and jumping at shadows. It was no wonder why. The Jedi, even after the catastrophic Jedi Civil War, had been viewed as invincible, even if they weren't particularly liked. They had been that cornerstone of the Republic that never disappeared, never gave out. But now, it seemed they were gone. So far as they'd seen, they had not yet recovered the bodies of several powerful masters, including Zhar, Vrook, Vandar, Dorak, and Atris.

Carth held little hope- the temple itself had been exterminated, its council room standing silent and disturbingly peaceful, the conclave on Alderaan had been destroyed, and the outpost on Ryloth had been wiped of all its occupants. All the last stations of the Jedi were gone.

Carth made no attempt to stop Bastila, though he knew her search was futile. So he let her do so, following closely behind. She needed this for herself.

Eventually, they came to one of the few remaining rooms they had not yet searched. And not even the battle-hardened Republic Admiral, who had seen his homeworld turned into craters, was prepared for what he saw inside.

A pile of dead children were huddled against the wall, expressions of terror and agony still frozen on their tiny faces. Carth nearly vomited.

"Oh, Mission!" Bastila cried, and dropped to the floor. Carth's eyes followed her, and saw the young girl lying face-down on the ground. Bastila descended into sobs, clutching the young girl's head to her breast.

Carth's knees almost gave out. The cost, oh the cost!

_Revan!_ Carth screamed in his own head. _Why did you leave us to this?_


End file.
